2.22-3.6

Observations

• Repeats: Sabbath 7x; Pharisees 2x, but including references to ‘them’ and ‘they’, 9x;
• Actors: Jesus, disciples, Pharisees, David, Abiathar, God, Son of Man, man w/ withered hand; synagogue attendees; Herodians;
• Actions: going through grain fields, plucking grain; Questioning and answers about lawful Sabbath activity; theological discussion between J and Ph about Sabbath, Jesus’ authority; synagogue attendance, healing, murder conspiracy
• Another ref to Jesus emotion: anger and grieved; previous ref: took Simon’s mother-in-law by the hand, moved w/ pity for leper,
• Setting: fields, synagogue, Sabbath; link back to first synagogue appearance pg 1.9ff with healing and teaching authority;
• First direct interaction with Pharisees; previous w/ their scribes; the Pharisees seem not so much to be questioning, as accusing: the opposition to Jesus is intensifying, and beginning to center on OT scripture; we will see more of this in the following stories of appointing the 12, the unforgivable sin, and Jesus redefinition of family
• Jesus’ teaching about Sabbath:
• there is OT evidence of human need taking priority over strict Sabbath observation by none other than David;
• Sabbath was made for man, not vice versa
• Son of Man is lord of Sabbath, has authority over Sabbath
• Sabbath intended as a blessing: to do good, save life; not for evil or harm
• Pharisees Sabbath practice: protect tradition and theologh; accusation; watching Jesus to spot unlawful behavior; hard hearts w/o compassion; form power alliance with enemy; initiate a murder conspiracy.

Interpretation

• It is likely that Mark places the Sabbath story here as a direct illustration of unshrunk cloth and new wine, and how it is incompatible with prevalent paradigms illustrated by the Pharisees and Herodians
• Pharisee, Herodians, and the unlikeliness of an alliance between the nationalistic Pharisees and the politically accommodating Herodians; could be worth at some point, probably later with the story of John’s murder, to describe the hideous nature and practices of Herod and his clan
• Sabbath significance; OT research on David incident
• Synagogue: 9x in Mark: 1.21,23, 29 all in first synagogue appearance; 1.39 travels around Galilee and preaching in synagogues; 3.1 here with man; 6.2 at home, preaching, and rejected by his own home town; 12.3 in critique of the scribes desire for attention; 13.9 warning disciples of conflict to come;
• 2nd ref to Son of man: first in authority to forgive sin, here as lord of Sabbath; not again till chapter 8ff teaching about Son of Man suffering;
• Jesus cites two sources of authority on Sabbath: OT, and himself; OT may have been useful for discussion with Pharisees: could have debated the intent and implications for lawful observance of the Sabbath; but when Jesus goes on to claim personal authority as lord of the Sabbath he creates an irreconcilable breach with the Pharisees
• Hermeneutical leap: are there similarities between the synagogue practice and understanding of the 1st C. religious leaders and participants, and those of us today attending and leading Sunday Worship? How we answer will dramatically impact how we apply this section.

Application

• What are we to learn about Jesus by his reference to himself as lord of the Sabbath? About his assertion that Sabbath was made for people, rather than the opposite?
• How might our Sunday services be transformed if we viewed church as a blessing from God, a time to do good, to save life?
• What is our most valued conviction about church participation? Is there anything in this story that might cause us to reevaluate our conviction?